Following his dream debut in Spanish Cup, Masoud Shojaei also had a fantastic maiden appearance in the league, scoring the sole goal of the day in the 36 minute of the match in Las Palmas’ win over Real Jaen on Sunday evening.
It was the first win of the season in Segunda Division for Shojaei’s new team after a disappointing start to the season with three draws and one loss before the former Osasuna player joined the team.
Like in the 3-1 Cup victory, Shojaei played the full 90 minutes on the wing.
“I congratulate the fans who supported us so much, we got three important points”, Shojaei told reporters after the match.
“The love people have given me in this first game truely surprised me. I tried to fight for the team and for the people.
“We have 26 players with great quality and they are all very important as we have a great competition and therefore pressure to play better.”
It was a disappointing weekend for the rest of Iran foreign legion though.
Daniel Davari and Alireza Jahanbakhsh remained on the bench in their teams’ league draws.
Ashkan Dejagah, Sardar Azmoun and Reza Ghoochannejhad all didn’t even make the bench as Fulham and Rubin drew whereas Standard stormed to another victory.

FIFA Medical Committee: Qatar World Cup Must Be Moved to Winter

Qatar World Cup must be moved to winter, says FIFA medical chief
FIFA’s medical chief will tell next month’s landmark meeting to decide on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar that the tournament must be moved to the winter to protect the fans.
Michel D’Hooghe, the chairman of FIFA’s medical committee, will advise the executive committee that the risks of hundreds of thousands of supporters moving between venues in the extreme heat are too great.
The committee is now expected to agree in principle to move the World Cup to the winter, most likely in November/December 2022, and then embark on a six-month exercise to hammer out how it will affect the international calendar and the domestic leagues.
D’Hooghe’s comments came as the United States’ FIFA member Sunil Gulati said he was prepared to “rock the boat” and demand more time before making a decision.
But as the world governing body’s medical chief, D’Hooghe’s strong report favoring a move will make a significant impact.
D’Hooghe told Press Association Sport, “My position is very clear. From the medical point of view I think it will be better not to play during the hot summer months.
“I am sure the Qataris could organize it when they have such technical skill, and I know they could play and train in a stable, acceptable temperature.
“But the World Cup is more than about games and players--I have done eight World Cups so I know a bit about it.
“A World Cup is about the 32 delegations, it’s about the whole FIFA family and the 12,000-15,000 media working very hard, and most importantly it’s about the fans.
“They will need to travel from venue to venue and I think it’s not a good idea for them to do that in temperatures of 47 degrees or more.”
The European leagues have also asked for a delay in any decision in order to look at the impact the move would have on them--it will not be just one season as the 2021 Confederations Cup will also have to be in the winter, and there will be a knock-on effect to the seasons on either side.
D’Hooghe, however, believes those issues can be sorted out.
He added, “It’s a technical question--I’m a medical man. I think we have nine years to sort it out.
“I respect the difficulties that there may be with some championships.
“I just have to give the medical advice and for the rest it would be a good thing to get everyone around the table to find a solution.”
Gulati, who was the head of the USA 2022 bid that was defeated by Qatar in the vote three years ago, also raised the effect a winter tournament would have on other American sports.
He told the New York Times, “I don’t see at this stage, frankly, how I or any member of FIFA’s executive committee could make a sensible decision.
“We don’t have enough information, and there are too many questions. I don’t see how anybody in a position of responsibility can take a position without some answers.
“If the position I’m taking--which is that we need a lot more information--is rocking the boat, then I’m going to be rocking the boat.”
He added, “There is another rather important sport that plays in the United States in the fall.
“How does a move affect us trying to promote the game if we’re up against the NFL or college football now? That’s a reality we have to consider. And it’s just one of a hundred things like that which need to be considered.”

Pirelli: We Have Not Made F1 Boring

Pirelli has dismissed as ‘nonsense’ suggestions that its change of tire specification led to the lack of action in recent Formula 1 races.
The Italian company’s decision to revert to its 2012 construction since the summer break has coincided with a return to dominance for Sebastian Vettel, whose back-to-back wins in Belgium and Italy have left him on course for a fourth consecutive world title, AutoSport reported.
Red Bull campaigned hard in the early stages of the season for Pirelli to move away from its more aggressive 2013 specification, and appears to have been the main beneficiary of the tire change that was brought in after the British Grand Prix failures.
But Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery insists there is no link between the recent lack of spectacle and its tires.
When asked about comments from fans that Pirelli’s change of tires had ruined the racing, Hembery said, “I thought the German and Hungarian Grands Prix were two of the best races we had ever had in Germany and Hungary--so I think that [complaint] is nonsense.
“At the end of the day, Red Bull were leading the championship before [we changed tires] and they are leading the championship now. So nothing has changed on that front.”
Most of the criticism aimed at Pirelli is because Red Bull and Vettel have dominated again, but Hembery is adamant that it is not the tire supplier’s duty to hinder the best team and driver.

Safarova Defeats Erakovic for Fifth Career Title

Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic won her fifth WTA title when she edged New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic 6-4 6-3 in the final of the Bell Challenge in Quebec City on Sunday.
Third seed Safarova’s serve proved a decisive weapon as the 26-year-old left-hander ended a five-year victory drought and improved her record in WTA finals to 5-7, Reuters wrote.
“I hope it’s not another five years until the next (title),” said Safarova, who was broken early in the first set but held serve the rest of the way.
Sixth seed Erakovic had her chances but the Croatian-born New Zealander squandered five break points.
Safarova broke Erakovic four times on the indoor carpet.
“It was just about a few points today, but I was more consistent with my game and more aggressive, and I think that’s why I won,” said Safarova, who entered the event ranked 48th in the world.
“My strategy was to try to go to her backhand side and just try to use my lefty shots as well as I could. I was a little bit nervous at the end because it was so long since my last WTA title.
“I really wanted to win the title today--so it’s great I was able to do that.”
Safarova not only landed more of her first serves in play than Erakovic, but also had a higher winning percentage when she did.
“I really tried hard to get things right, but Lucie made it very difficult for me today,” Erakovic told reporters.
“She played solid and didn’t let up her lead at all. And I was struggling to find my rhythm with her lefty serve and in the rallies--so I just have to take my hat off to her and move on now.”
Erakovic was seeking her second WTA victory.

Iran’s Gerami At London Event

From Page 1
The authorities in Iran appeared initially reluctant to officially nominate Gerami given that the UK government had turned down visa applications for two officials from Iran’s national triathlon federation who wanted to accompany Gerami during the competition. In the light of international expectations, Iran’s sports ministry, however, issued the required paperwork in the last hours before the final began.
She competed in a dress that covered her body from head to toe and the International Triathlon Union aided her by providing a tent where she could change clothes in between legs.
The most empowering and uplifting moments, Gerami said, came when other athletes patted her on the back as she ran and the crowd cheered as she passed, shouting, “Well done, Iran!”
“Athletes from different corners of the world were there and it’s very uplifting to see that everyone respected Iran and everyone respected that we were participating.”
“The biggest, biggest lesson I learnt is to always think positive,” Gerami said. “At one stage, Iranian media were thinking this wasn’t going to happen … but then I received a phone call and they said I was nominated.”

Alves Offered to Donate Liver for Abidal

Dani Alves offered to donate part of his liver to former Barcelona team-mate Eric Abidal, according to the French international defender.
Abidal’s cousin Gerard provided part of his liver for the Monaco player’s operation in April 2012 after he suffered hepatitis, Eurosport wrote.
But Abidal, 34, told a Spanish radio station that Alves also said he would provide the organ needed for the transplant.
Alves is wearing Abidal’s number 22 shirt this season at Barca as tribute to the player, who had to undergo liver surgery to remove a tumor in March 2011 before returning two months late to play in the club’s Champions League final win over Manchester United.
“My relationship with Dani goes much further than him taking my old No. 22 shirt,” said Abidal, who move to Monaco during the close season after Barca opted against extending his contract.
“When I had to undergo surgery, he offered to donate his liver. Of course, it’s completely out of the question because he is a professional footballer. Our relationship goes much deeper than friendship.”

Australian Police Charge Six in Fixing Sting

Australian police have charged six men, including several Britons, as the result of an operation to smash an international match-fixing ring centered on a second-tier club in suburban Melbourne.
The multi-million dollar racket, embroiling the head coach and a number of players at Victoria Premier League team Southern Stars, had links with betting syndicates in Malaysia and Hungary, police told a Melbourne court on Monday, Reuters reported.
Police named Malaysian national Segaran “Gerry” Gsubramaniam and Britons Joe Woolley and Reiss Noel among the six charged with rigging matches in the 12-team league in Victoria state.
Goalkeeper Woolley and Noel both played for AFC Hornchurch in London before leaving the club in July to play for the Stars. Police declined to name the other three charged.
Gsubramaniam, 45, was described by police as the linchpin of the Australian operation and a go-between between the team and off-shore betting syndicates.
“... On a worldwide scale (Gsubramaniam) is not the bigwig, Australian-wise he is,” Detective Scott Poynder told the court.
Gsubramaniam was considered a flight risk, police said, and had been remanded for another bail hearing on Friday.
Woolley and Noel, along with the other three charged, would also appear at the same court on Friday, police said.
Those charged could face sentences of up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of match-fixing.
The charges follow the arrests of 10 people across Melbourne on Sunday in an operation sparked by a report of irregular betting patterns surrounding Stars matches.
Four of the arrested were released pending further enquiries.
The case has sent shockwaves across sports-obsessed Australia, where rival football codes have already been rocked by anti-doping investigations involving players, coaches and officials in recent months.
Southern Stars President Ercan Cicek said a man had approached the cash-strapped club with the offer of providing players who would play “for free”.
“Our committee members are thinking, ‘Oh beautiful, five players for free, we’re not going to pay anything, it’s a big, big bonus’,” Australian Associated Press quoted Cicek as saying.

Champions League

Ajax Amsterdam’s players should perhaps be forced to hand over their mobile phones before Wednesday’s Champions League tie at Barcelona so they do not act like overawed schoolboys, according to defender Niklas Moisander.